1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for lateral line repair in the plumbing industry that is accomplished by the insertion of a liner into the damaged line. It is known in the prior art to accomplish such line repairs by inverting a resin- or epoxy-impregnated liner into the damaged line, typically by the application of fluid pressure, and then allowing the liner to cure in place. The improvement of this invention primarily resides in the construction of the liner to include an end cap that is adhesively secured to a first end of the liner whereby removal of the end cap, after the liner has cured in place, is easily and efficiently accomplished.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is not at all uncommon for underground plumbing lines, particularly lines typically referred to as lateral lines which extend from a structure to the main sewer line, to become damaged or cracked over time. Repair of these lines can certainly be accomplished by removal of the damaged lines and replacement with a new line or a new line segment, but such repairs are extremely time-consuming and expensive.
The prior art, including prior patent literature, includes numerous examples of apparatus for repairing damaged lines in place, without the necessity of removing or replacing the line. Such repairs are accomplished by gaining access to the damaged line and inserting a liner to xe2x80x9csealxe2x80x9d the damage and return the line to full utility. Such prior art devices typically utilize a flexible tube-type member, one surface of which is formed from an impermeable material and the other surface of which is formed from an absorbent, typically felt-type material, that is impregnated with a curable resin before insertion of the tube into the line to be repaired.
According to the prior art, placement of the epoxy-impregnated repair liner is usually accomplished by the application of fluid pressure to invert the impregnated tube into the damaged lateral line so that the epoxy-impregnated surface will be placed into intimate contact with the interior of the damaged line. The fluid pressure utilized to accomplish this makes it necessary for one end of the repair liner to be sealed so as to permit not only inversion as the liner is inserted into the damaged lateral line, but also to fix the epoxy-impregnated surface firmly against the interior wall of the damaged line.
Once the epoxy has cured, the fluid pressure is released and the device which closed one end of the liner for the purpose of maintaining fluid pressure during the insertion and curing process must then be removed. The prior art teaches a variety of structures for closing one end of the tube during insertion and removing the closure after the liner has cured.
However, such closure structures, are, for the most part, complex, awkward, and expensive. According to state-of-the-art apparatus, the closures not only complicate insertion of the repair liner, but also are quite complex in the removal procedures that must be followed. This necessarily increases the cost of the repair and can actually result in repairs that do not function properly.
It is therefore clear that there remains a great need in the art for simple, efficient, and reliable means for not only closing one end of the repair liner during its insertion and curing, but also provides for easy and efficient removal once the liner has cured in place.
The present invention relates to an improvement in the apparatus currently used for repairing a pipeline wherein the apparatus typically includes an elongate flexible tube member having a first end sealed with an end cap and a second end and comprising an inner resin-absorbent surface and a substantially impermeable outer surface. The resin-absorbent surface is impregnated with an uncured resin material, and means are provided for inserting the resin-impregnated tube member into a damaged pipeline by inverting the impregnated tube on itself so that the resin-impregnated surface will now be on the outside in intimate contact along the interior wall of the pipeline being repaired. Inversion and placement of the repair tube is typically accomplished by fluid pressure. The improvement of this invention comprises an end cap that is adhesively attached to the first end of the tube member whereby, after inversion and curing of the resin, the end cap may be easily and efficiently removed by stripping it away from the tube without damaging the integrity of the repair.
The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.